COVID-19 outbreaks at three Flin Flon-area health and long-term facilities are now considered over.
As of June 7, no remaining outbreaks are in effect at long-term care homes or medical facilities within the Northern Health Region (NHR). Outbreaks declared earlier this year at Flin Flon General Hospital, the Flin Flon Personal Care Home and at the Northern Lights Manor are now over, along with the St. Paul’s Personal Care Home in The Pas.
“As of today, there are no declared outbreaks in the NHR.,” reads a statement released to The Reminder by the NHR June 7.
The manor was the last of the three Flin Flon-area sites where outbreaks were found to have that status lifted, with the decision only coming Tuesday morning. The manor had previously been the site of an outbreak since April 26 - the outbreak was declared over six weeks after it was initially called. The facility was under a “red” status under Manitoba’s provincial pandemic response system. Meanwhile, all Flin Flon-area facilities, as well as other northern facilities, are now under a “green” status as of June 7.
Visitors are allowed to return to each of the facilities, though all visitors must still wear a provided medical mask and screen for possible COVID-19 symptoms on their way in.
To simplify, outbreaks in long-term care facilities in Manitoba are declared over after 10 days without newly associated COVID-19 cases within the facility. According to provincial guidelines current as of last month, outbreaks are declared in personal care homes and hospitals if two or more residents of a facility who aren't roommates, tablemates or who don't share a resident bathroom receive COVID-19 (through what public health calls a health care associated infection [HAI]) within 10 days.
Public health considers an HAI to be a COVID-19 case that is laboratory confirmed, with the person having been admitted more than 10 days earlier, having had no known exposure to COVID-19 in the past 10 days outside the health care setting and with a link with COVID-19-positive person in the facility, among other conditions.
No information about COVID-19 case counts, negative outcomes or complications relating to any Flin Flon-area outbreak has been made public.
